There is nothing like brainstorming with friends to help kick up your recipes a notch. This idea for Paleo Salted Caramel Ice Cream came about when my BFF was here (also see the Paleo Apple Pie Ice Cream Recipe). I knew that this was something I had to try to create, and this recipe is a winner. It is rich and creamy and reminds of of a “true” ice cream.

Now this recipe is perfect for me as is. It has a wonderful hint of caramel in the background of the recipe. You might want to double the caramel so you can have some to drizzle all over your ice cream but again prepare from some serious sweetness.

Two notes: Buy a Candy thermometer so you can make sure the honey only gets to 250 degrees. If the temp gets higher it’s going to mess up the recipe. You can get one from the dollar store. Also, I had to make this in two batches as my ice cream maker was too small to handle the entire recipe at once.

One amazing thing about the recipe is that the ice cream will not be rock hard when you pull it from the freezer. The amount of honey in here makes it very scoopable. Ok, this will probably be my last ice cream recipe for the month as my waistline cannot take any more abuse.

Primal Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Yield: 10

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours20 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours35 minutes

Ingredients

Caramel

1/2 cup honey

8 Tablespoons ghee

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Ice cream base

2 13.5 oz cans of Coconut Milk

1 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

In a sauce pan, cook the honey until it reaches the soft boil stage (250 degrees).

Remove the pan from the stove top and add in the butter. Whisk the butter into the honey until it is completely incorporated. Then whisk in the vanilla.

I tried a different take on the paleoish caramel with coconut sugar and it came out with all the taste of caramel and not so absurdly sweet. I cannot WAIT to try the coconut milk idea. Thank you for bravely forging ahead in this exploration 🙂 -CK

Hi there – can I ask for a clarification about the recipe? At the end of the base, it says 1 Tablespoon and 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt…is that right? I made a half batch and used just a hair more than a 1/2 Tablespoon measure and it came out way, way salty…so I was wondering if it was supposed to be 1 Tablespoon of something else? or 1 1/4 teaspoons of sea salt? I’m new to trying paleo ice creams, so I wanted to check if I did something wrong…

Sarah, I put in 1 tablespoon + 1/4 tsp and it was spot on for me. You can always start with 1/4 tsp and work your way up to taste. It’s vegan so you don’t have to worry about eating raw egg or anything while you are tasting it.

Does the caramel have to be cooled before adding to the coconut milk in the blender? I did not cool it and it curdled the milk and then it never recovered in the ice cream maker? The flavor was good but the texture was terrible. I think the fat separated?? What did I do wrong?

This recipe is the best ice cream! It is better than the stuff from the store, healthier, and sooooo easy to make. I make a quart most every week. I’ve been eating Paleo for 2 months, lost 18 lbs and get to enjoy this fantastic sweet! No feeling of losing out or deprivation when you have something like this to eat.

Suggested recipe for a “lite” version: Use one can regular organic coconut milk and one can “lite” organic coconut milk, or two cans “lite” organic coconut milk. Reduce the ghee to 5 tablespoons. The flavor is just as good, and the “lite” coconut milk has about 90 fewer calories in a 1/3 cup serving. I have used one can “lite” and one can regular. I have not yet used two cans of “lite”.

For a flavor addition, I add about a 1/2 tsp of instant coffee, and a 1/2 tsp of cocoa in just enough hot filtered water to dissolve and incorporate it with the honey before boiling.

This recipe is the bomb! It’s the best part about Paleo – you can have your sweets and still eat right!

This turned out pretty good, the coconut taste was pretty strong for my preference, wondering if subbing almond milk for one can would work to make it less coconut-y tasting? The carmel sauce was perfect!